Geographic range and seasonal occurrence in British Columbia of two exotic ambrosia beetles as determined by semiochemical-based trapping

Two exotic ambrosia beetles, Trypodendron domesticum (L.) and Xyloterinus politus (Say) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae), were captured in 2004 in traps baited with either ethanol alone or ethanol and the aggregation pheromone lineatin at locations outside their known range. The range of T. domesticum in British Columbia is now known to extend along lower Fraser Valley as far north as Yale and along the Highway 3 corridor as far east as Sunshine Valley. Xyloterinus politus was not recovered east of Hope but was trapped as far north as North Bend in the Fraser River Canyon. Neither species was found on the Sunshine Coast or on Vancouver Island. Traps on the Simon Fraser University (SFU) campus captured T. domesticum as early as the week ending 17 February 2004. At both SFU and the University of British Columbia’s Malcolm Knapp Research Forest (MKRF) in Maple Ridge, the majority of T. domesticum were captured well before peak flight of the native striped ambrosia beetle, Trypodendron lineatum (Olivier). The flight of X. politus occurred much later, spanning the months of April and May. Catches of 4,716 T. domesticum in three traps at SFU and 59 X. politus at the MKRF indicate successful establishment of both species. In future, the presence of both species will demand expert taxonomic identification as a prerequisite to implementation and interpretation of pest management tactics to prevent ambrosia beetle damage on conifer and hardwood logs and lumber